Impressions on hilltop farm

[ynot563]

When I read that the new farms will cater to what area of profession we liked most, I thought that would be great. I really liked mining in this game so I naturally picked hilltop. I initially thought that you would get an entrance to the mines on your farm so you didnt have to travel to it. All you get is a smaller rock quarry. Tbh the rock quarry sucks after the initial clear out and the spawn rate is slow. I still go to the mines to do all my ore farming because of this. Isnt that the pt of picking hilltop? You can have easier access to ores faster than any other farm? Iron ore and gold ore only started showing up after I got to the correct mine level. What is the pt in that? So far the only perk is that you get like 5-10 extra ore than every other farm and thats about it.

Also the rock quarry on your farm is bugged, if you try a bomb to clear out, the ores and geodes that get hit will just disappear and you lose out on it. So you have to manually pickaxe each one if you want the stuff.

I still depend heavily on crops just to get money and I get thats what the initial idea was for this game, but then what is the pt of adding these new areas that focuses on a particular profession. Some of you might say its to provide a new way to play the game, but your playing the same way cept different map. There is nothing new or challenging about it. You still depend on your greenhouse/crops to rake in the money.

I really like this game have 100+ hours on it. I just think there need to be a balance patch on these new farms. If the dev wants to make these other professions compete with crop/wine farming then he is going to need bring the other professions up to par.

[LunarisRuin]

I supposed what you're saying is kinda true.

Although from what I can tell Forest and River farms are the best out of the bunch. Less land to work with unfortunately but it's worth it! ..I think River Farms give you the most amount of gold boost.. or at least that's what i've heard. Maybe they'll buff the Hilltop Farm! Have faith dude! These guys are great at patching things up.

[G3rman]

It's not supposed to radically change the game for you. It's still a "farm", obviously. It changes up the looks and gives you some extra seeds/ores/fish whatever.

This feature was never intended, nor did it describe itself as such in the menu, as a radical change.

[Piing]

I see those new farm as graphical upgrades. I always wished the farm was a bit more special, so the hill-top was perfect for me! Since I'm playing to make my farm look good and not for "OMG I NIID MUCH MONEYZ IN NO TEIM" it's even better.

That's my farm at the moment: http://imgur.com/itcZm5b
As you can see (or not): not many fields, nearly no sprinklers, only 4 animals (goats and sheep), an empty shed, huge forest areas. Why? Because I really like how it looks.

[ynot563]

Originally posted by Piing:

Since I'm playing to make my farm look good and not for "OMG I NIID MUCH MONEYZ IN NO TEIM" it's even better.

I figured this was going to pop up. I agree too, the money isnt really important at the end, but when you're trying to unlock everything at a decent amt of pace you have to go crops otherwise you are looking at 2x-3x the effort and time if you try any other paths to get income. I cant speak for others, but for myself, I want to feel like the other professions can keep up to pace with crops.

In my first play through I played the game how it was intended. I was a little bit of eveything and crops were the focal pt. Around 1/2 into the 2nd year I had unlocked all the gated content that required money. That is about 30-40 hours of gameplay? Just playing normally not worrying about money. Now if I were to focus on another profession as my income other than crops, me getting to the same pt would proabably take twice or triple times longer than if I were to focus on crops. Money does matter when you are trying to progress in the game in a decent timely manner.

Originally posted by G3rman:

It's not supposed to radically change the game for you. It's still a "farm", obviously. It changes up the looks and gives you some extra seeds/ores/fish whatever.

This feature was never intended, nor did it describe itself as such in the menu, as a radical change.

This is the first iteration of these new farms so I agree with you that a radical change isnt probably goin to happen. The dev proabably wanted to test the waters out to see how ppl like having other professions as a focal pt. Maybe next patch he will start making these farms more special than the default farm to complement what profession we want to focus on our primary income. Tbh that is pretty much what the game's underlying msg is. Almost every character wants the freedom to be and do what they want to do. As of right now there is only one path in this game you have to take to decently progress in this game.

[Piing]

Originally posted by ynot563:

Originally posted by Piing:

Since I'm playing to make my farm look good and not for "OMG I NIID MUCH MONEYZ IN NO TEIM" it's even better.

I figured this was going to pop up. I agree too, the money isnt really important at the end, but when you're trying to unlock everything at a decent amt of pace you have to go crops otherwise you are looking at 2x-3x the effort and time if you try any other paths to get income. I cant speak for others, but for myself, I want to feel like the other professions can keep up to pace with crops.

In my first play through I played the game how it was intended. I was a little bit of eveything and crops were the focal pt. Around 1/2 into the 2nd year I had unlocked all the gated content that required money. That is about 30-40 hours of gameplay? Just playing normally not worrying about money. Now if I were to focus on another profession as my income other than crops, me getting to the same pt would proabably take twice or triple times longer than if I were to focus on crops. Money does matter when you are trying to progress in the game in a decent timely manner.

The main thing that comes to my mind when you say progress is the Community Center.
To your surprise (maybe) I'm missing only 10 items (7 of them Bulletin Board which is a ****) on 28th of Summer, Year 2. Which is fewer items than I need on my first character somewhere Year 3.

The profession levels aren't a problem either. All of mine are somewhere from 8-10.

Other quests are always the same because you plan them the same way.

If you meant other points I'm sorry for missing the point. Tell me what you meant if I did.

[ynot563]

Originally posted by Piing:

If you meant other points I'm sorry for missing the point. Tell me what you meant if I did.

Im mostly talking about unlocking everything in the game not just what you want or the bare minimum. There is the community vault which is 42500g to complete, all the buildings which runs 100k+g total, all the animals 40-50kg total, tool upgrades to max 100k+g, farm expenses, gifts, etc... To be honest it is probably well over 500k+g just to unlock everything even the new content I dont even know about yet. So if you are not focus on crops then you're probably going to be looking at a very large time sink just to obtain that amt of money to unlock everything than if you were to go crops.

[Piing]

Originally posted by ynot563:

Im mostly talking about unlocking everything in the game not just what you want or the bare minimum. There is the community vault which is 42500g to complete, all the buildings which runs 100k+g total, all the animals 40-50kg total, tool upgrades to max 100k+g, farm expenses, gifts, etc... To be honest it is probably well over 500k+g just to unlock everything even the new content I dont even know about yet. So if you are not focus on crops then you're probably going to be looking at a very large time sink just to obtain that amt of money to unlock everything than if you were to go crops.

Community Center, as I said is no problem.

I could easily afford all animals if I wanted.

I would already own all Gold Tools if I wanted to.

I have an empty shed. It cost me 15k. For asthetics.
Also I have a Deluxe Barn, a Mill, a Silo and House Upgrade 1.

If you're wondering what my total earnings are: they are currently on 422k.


But to be honest, this conversation is quite pointless because it doesn't really matter if you walk 10 seconds to a certain area on your farm or outside your farm. Just enjoy the astethics of your map!

[ynot563]

Originally posted by Piing:

Originally posted by ynot563:

Im mostly talking about unlocking everything in the game not just what you want or the bare minimum. There is the community vault which is 42500g to complete, all the buildings which runs 100k+g total, all the animals 40-50kg total, tool upgrades to max 100k+g, farm expenses, gifts, etc... To be honest it is probably well over 500k+g just to unlock everything even the new content I dont even know about yet. So if you are not focus on crops then you're probably going to be looking at a very large time sink just to obtain that amt of money to unlock everything than if you were to go crops.

Community Center, as I said is no problem.

I could easily afford all animals if I wanted.

I would already own all Gold Tools if I wanted to.

I have an empty shed. It cost me 15k. For asthetics.
Also I have a Deluxe Barn, a Mill, a Silo and House Upgrade 1.

If you're wondering what my total earnings are: they are currently on 422k.


But to be honest, this conversation is quite pointless because it doesn't really matter if you walk 10 seconds to a certain area on your farm or outside your farm. Just enjoy the astethics of your map!

earnings are 422k of what? crops? The bulk of that income you have is probably from crops. The entire pt im trying to make is that crops are far more profitable than any other profession in the game. Can you say you make 422k worth of mining? or 422k worth of foraging? Doesnt seem you're understanding my pt here. I want all professions to give you a decent amt of money not just crops and I was hoping the new farm layout were going to do just that.

Is it so wrong to want to have multiple types of farms you can go about finishing the game? Crops is king right now.

[Ape-tier Buffoonery]

Realistically by definition foraging wouldnt make as much money (read quantity) as farming would. Its why mankind gravitated towards agriculture as opposed to staying nomads. You just got more food more easily. Even fishing isnt that economically viable unless youre farming them in nurseries or you could go sail off into the ocean with a boat and catch a couple tons of fish a day.

However boosting the sell rates from mining and animal products might help specializing into them for roleplay purposes.

All in all I just dont think they all should be balanced to farming. It should be the optimal way to make cash with all other routes being roleplay or more challenging.

[Piing]

Originally posted by ynot563:

earnings are 422k of what? crops? The entire pt im trying to make is that crops are far more profitable than any other profession in the game. Can you say you make 422k worth of mining? or 422k worth of foraging?

Less than half of those 422k are crops. Remember I only have 109 crop-tiles (even less before Summer Year 2). If you go mining you get like 5k a day (combat included). Same goes for fishing (some dude got over 80k up to the 20th of Spring Year 1). Foraging is less profitable though, yes, but it also is just a passive activity. Going around the map for 2 minutes you will still earn like 500g.

In short: I have 422k worth of Mining, Fishing, Fighting, Farming and Foraging. Not 422k worth of Crops.

Now I'll quote the Steam Page:

You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home?

Yeah, farming is the main point of the game, I'm sorry. Not saying other professions aren't equally profitable.

I really like this game have 100+ hours on it. I just think there need to be a balance patch on these new farms. If the dev wants to make these other professions compete with crop/wine farming then he is going to need bring the other professions up to par.

There is no need for balancing. The maps are just to change things up a bit. You already have a place to mine, fish, forage and fight! You're acting like those 4 categories were added in 1.1 and still underdeveloped.

Also the rock quarry on your farm is bugged, if you try a bomb to clear out, the ores and geodes that get hit will just disappear and you lose out on it. So you have to manually pickaxe each one if you want the stuff.

Yes, this bug shouldn't exist, but are you really that eager to waste your bombs? There are only a few stones there!

Iron ore and gold ore only started showing up after I got to the correct mine level. What is the pt in that? So far the only perk is that you get like 5-10 extra ore than every other farm and thats about it.

You still need the Skull Key to get your Iridium Tools. You can't farm iridium in big style without it. Your mining level will go up either way.

[LunarisRuin]

I feel like fishing makes you a lot of money.. that's how I got somewhat rich in my first playthrough, nothing but fishing and selling everything I caught. Obviously not as much as crops.. but even then.. like I said crops, at least the popular ones (blueberry, cranberry, etc.), were nerfed.. are they really still on top?

[Cohnway]

It's the same on Riverlands and I assume the same on others. I had the thought that this'd mean it'd be easier to go down a secondary profession alongside farming, and that's basically what it's ended up.

Where else are you gonna farm? You've got no other place than your farm, to farm. Only there can you grow crops, raise animals, start a winery or a cheese processing plant or whatever else you desire.
The fish that are well-selling change with the seasons. Sometimes it's better to fish in the rivers, others in the ocean, and it can be a decent enough hike to the beach without a horse. Foraging is basically gathering scraps of the Earth and eating/selling them so of course it's not immensely profitable without also "farming" them as well. Don't even think that selling monster-bits is gonna net you any worthwhile cash. And mining, as well, is better spent in the mines because the mines are an expansive system with different areas for different needs. Then you've got the desert mine where you really can explore forever.

Forage map didn't have easy access to the Secret Forest, Riverlands didn't have easy access to the ocean, and the Wilderness and the Mining map didn't have easy access to the mines. It's balanced all around Farming as your main source of income with the ability to choose one of many maps to boost a secondary source, as I see it.

[ynot563]

Originally posted by Piing:

Now I'll quote the Steam Page:

You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home?

Yeah, farming is the main point of the game, I'm sorry. Not saying other professions aren't equally profitable.

Farming is the main pt, but there are also such a thing as livestock farming, fish farms, etc... As I was saying, with the new introduction to these new types of maps. Im going take a wild guess and say that the dev wants you to have more different types of farms to focus on than just crop farming. Ideas can change for a game given enough time. I just think he is slowly working towards that goal to make the game with true freedom of what you want to farm. This is just the first step towards that.

Originally posted by Piing:

There is no need for balancing. The maps are just to change things up a bit. You already have a place to mine, fish, forage and fight! You're acting like those 4 categories were added in 1.1 and still underdeveloped.

There is always a need for balancing in a game, otherwise there wouldnt even be a need for patches. They did nerf berries this patch so you dont make as much as you did before(which is a crop I might add). No game can be perfect. As I said above, this is probably the first step to the game heading into a more diverse direction instead of just crop farming.

Originally posted by Piing:

Yes, this bug shouldn't exist, but are you really that eager to waste your bombs? There are only a few stones there!

No I wasnt eager to waste bombs. Since the beginning of starting of that map I hadnt touched my small pathetic rock quarry so it was pretty full. One bomb can save me tons of energy. So I used it. If i didnt then that bug would probably go unnoticed and i would rather that be fixed than just leave it in the game even though its not that efficient to bomb ur small quarry after the initial clear.

[ynot563]

Originally posted by Commander Cohn:

It's the same on Riverlands and I assume the same on others. I had the thought that this'd mean it'd be easier to go down a secondary profession alongside farming, and that's basically what it's ended up.

Where else are you gonna farm? You've got no other place than your farm, to farm. Only there can you grow crops, raise animals, start a winery or a cheese processing plant or whatever else you desire.
The fish that are well-selling change with the seasons. Sometimes it's better to fish in the rivers, others in the ocean, and it can be a decent enough hike to the beach without a horse. Foraging is basically gathering scraps of the Earth and eating/selling them so of course it's not immensely profitable without also "farming" them as well. Don't even think that selling monster-bits is gonna net you any worthwhile cash. And mining, as well, is better spent in the mines because the mines are an expansive system with different areas for different needs. Then you've got the desert mine where you really can explore forever.

Forage map didn't have easy access to the Secret Forest, Riverlands didn't have easy access to the ocean, and the Wilderness and the Mining map didn't have easy access to the mines. It's balanced all around Farming as your main source of income with the ability to choose one of many maps to boost a secondary source, as I see it.

I'll bite, that is another way to look at it. Secondary profession to the main crop farming, but even that isnt balanced.

As far as I can see not all maps got the same treatment for secondary profession sustainability. The riverlands is probably the only one that complements as a secondary profession, because you have access to fish near by and they give pretty good money. The hilltop mining quarry spawn so slow you literally probably get maybe enough ore to make 1 bar every 1 week. That is really slow when you can get 50+ ores a day in the mines. Forage and the monster farms lets be honest here and you're not going to profit off those.

[Draygo]

Yeah, I was very much expecting something different from them. I like the choice and variety but was hoping for a much more...I suppose, viable alternative , since you give up so much farm space